Event Signature Sponsor: Dollar Tree, Inc.

Date: April 6, 2019; 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

2017 Norfolk's First Citizen Award Recipient

The Honorable Paul D. Fraim

Paul Fraim was born in Norfolk, Virginia, graduated from Norfolk Catholic High School, completed undergraduate studies at Virginia Military Institute, received his Masters of Education from the University of Virginia, his law degree from the University of Richmond, and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Norfolk State University.

A member of the Norfolk City Council from 1986 to 2016, was appointed mayor on July 1, 1994 and re-appointed every two years until May 2006 when he became the first popularly elected mayor since 1916. He was twice re-elected mayor and did not seek re-election in 2016. He is the longest serving mayor in the history of Norfolk.

Mr. Fraim began private practice in May 1977 and is president of the law firm Fraim and Fiorella, P.C. He is chairman and president of the Slover Library Foundation, a member of the Eastern Virginia Medical School Board of Visitors, Board of Trustees for the Chrysler Museum of Art, Towne Bank Norfolk Advisory Board, the Greater Norfolk Corporation, the Virginia Arts Festival Board of Directors, Nauticus Foundation Board, and the VMI Investment Holding Board.

He is a former chairman of the Hampton Roads Mayors and Chairs Caucus, Hampton Roads Planning District Commission, Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization, Hampton Roads Military and Federal Facilities Alliance, USS Wisconsin Foundation, and Norfolk Electoral Board. His is past president of the VMI Board of Visitors.

Mr. Fraim is a former member of the Hampton Roads Transportation Accountability Commission, Eastern Virginia Medical School Foundation, and the TowneBank Board of Directors.

He was co-captain of the football team at VMI and coached football at the University of Virginia and the University of Richmond. The Norfolk Sports Club named him “Man of the Year” in sports in the metropolitan area for 1994. In 1995, he received Old Dominion’s “Bud Metheny” award, and was named “Sportsman of the Year” in 1996 by the Virginian-Pilot. He has been inducted into the Hampton Roads Sports Hall of Fame.

Other awards include the United States Navy’s Superior and Meritorious Public Service Award medals, the National Conference of Christians and Jews Humanitarian Award, Downtown Norfolk Council Lifetime Achievement Award and Downtowner of the Year, “Colgate Darden Scouter Citizen of the Year” award given by the Tidewater Council of the Boy Scouts of America, Hampton Roads Maritime Association’s Port Champion Award, Catholic Charities of Eastern Virginia’s Bishop’s Humanitarian Award, A Home for Every American Award given by the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, Hampton Roads Realtor’s Association’s Housing Advocate of the Year, Chesapeake Climate Action Network’s Coastal Climate Champion Award, For Kids 2014 Phoenix Award’s Children’s Champion, the 2017 Lifetime Award of Service from the Norfolk Environmental Commission, and the Urban Renewal Center’s Lead Like King Award.

Mr. Fraim is a member of the Virginia State Bar. He is a member of and served on the Executive Committee of the Virginia Bar Association, and is a fellow of the Virginia Law Foundation.

Past Recipients of Norfolk's First Citizen Award

Mr W Willis Houston – 1928

Mr Southgate Leigh, Sr – 1929

Mr Charles L Kaufman – 1930

Mr George H Lewis – 1931

Mrs Florence K Sloane – 1932

Mr David Pender – 1933

Mr Winder R Harris – 1934

Mr A Herbert Foreman – 1935

Mr A B Schwarzkopf – 1936

Mr C Wiley Grandy – 1937

Rev Sparks W Melton, DD – 1938

Rev W H T Squires, DD – 1939

Mr Robert Prentis Beaman – 1940

Mr Daniel M Thornton – 1941

Mr Richard Dickson Cooke – 1942

Colonel James W Roberts – 1943

Colonel James Mann – 1944

Mrs A O Calcott – 1945

Hon Colgate W Darden, Jr – 1946

Hon Oscar F Smith – 1947

Mr Melvin T Blassingham – 1948

Mr Stephen A MacDonald – 1949

Mr Thomas P Thompson – 1950

Mr Earl T Gresham – 1951

Mr John Samuel Alfriend – 1952

Mr Hunter Clemens Phelan – 1953

Mr Crawford Stanley Rogers – 1954

Dr Walter B Martin – 1955

Mr William Frederick Duckworth – 1956

Mr Samuel Thomas Northern – 1957

Mr Henry Clay Hofheimer, II – 1958

Mr Barron Foster Black – 1959

Mr John Summerfield Jenkins, Jr – 1960

Mr Joshua Pretlow Darden – 1961

Mr Lewis Warrington Webb, Jr – 1962

Mr James Hoge Tyler, III – 1963

Mr Forrest Franklin Cathey – 1964

Mr Harry Borum Price, Jr – 1965

Mr Frank Batten – 1966

Dr Mason C Andrews – 1967

Mr Clinton Elmo Thurston, Jr – 1968

Mr John Lonsdale Roper, II – 1969

Mr Vincent J Thomas – 1970

Mr Thomas A Hanes – 1971

Mr William Farley Powers, Sr – 1972

Hon Roy B Martin, Jr – 1973

Mr Frederic Heutte – 1974

Mr Harry H Mansbach – 1975

Mr Richard F Welton, III – 1976

Mr Aubrey Guy Graham – 1977

Mr W Wright Harrison – 1978

Mrs Justine L Nusbaum – 1979

Mr Toy D Savage, Jr – 1980

Mr Roy Randolph Charles – 1981

Dr Robert L Payne, Jr – 1982

Mr John R Sears, Jr – 1983

Mr Moses Gilbert Todd – 1984

Mr Charles F Burroughs, Jr – 1985

Mr Doyle E Hull – 1986

Mrs Dorothy M Doumar – 1987

Drs Georgeanna and Howard Jones, Jr – 1988

Mr Clifford A Cutchins, III – 1989

Dr Charles E Horton – 1990

Mr Harvey L Lindsay, Jr – 1991

Mr Joshua P Darden, Jr – 1992

Mr Hunter A Hogan, Jr – 1993

Mr Thomas H Willcox, Jr – 1994

Mr Harold C (Hap) Hoy – 1995

Mr Robert C Nusbaum – 1996

Mrs Constance Curtis Laws – 1997

Mr Peter G Decker, Jr – 1998

Mr Thomas G Johnson, Jr – 1999

Mr Irvine B Hill – 2000

Mr Arthur A Diamonstein – 2001

E George Middleton, Jr – 2002

Rev Dr John H Foster – 2003

Rev Joseph N Green – 2004

Eleanor Field Bradshaw – 2005

Mr George C Crawley – 2006

Dr William P Magee Jr and Kathleen S Magee – 2007

Hon Joseph A Leafe – 2008

Vincent J Mastracco, Jr – 2009

Jane Parke Batten – 2010

Mr David R Goode and Mrs Susan S Goode – 2011

Mrs Linda H Kaufman – 2012

Patricia Peace Rawls – 2013

Dr. G. William Whitehurst – 2014. Dr. G. William Whitehurst is a native of Norfolk, Virginia, and was educated in its public schools. Following military service in World War II in the U.S. Navy, he attended Washington and Lee University where he received his B.A. in History in 1950. He received his MA. in History at the University of Virginia in 1951, and his Ph.D. in American Diplomatic History at West Virginia University in 1962. In 1950, he began his teaching career at the forerunner of Old Dominion University, the Norfolk Division of William & Mary, as an instructor in the History Department. In 1963, he was appointed Dean of Students and held that position until his election in 1968 to the Ninety-First Congress as the Representative for the 2nd District of Virginia. A Republican, he served until his retirement from the House of Representatives in January 1987. During that time he served eighteen years on the House Armed Services Committee, six years on the House Select Committee on Intelligence, and two years on the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct (the Ethics Committee). Additionally, he served for ten years as a delegate to the North Atlantic Assembly, the parliamentary arm of NATO, and three one-year terms on the Board of Visitors of the United States Naval Academy. Dr. Whitehurst kept a diary of his Congressional activities during his years in the House and subsequently published two volumes of excerpts covering the years 1972 to 1981. They are DIARY OF A CONGRESSMAN and DIARY OF A CONGRESSMAN: ABSCAM AND BEYOND. The original diary detailing his entire career from 1969 to 1987 is now at the Perry Library at Old Dominion University and is available for research purposes. On his retirement from Congress, Dr. Whitehurst returned to Old Dominion University to resume his academic career and is currently the Kaufman Lecturer in Public Affairs. He teaches courses in both history and political science.

J. Douglas and Patricia W. Perry – 2015. Known simply as Doug and Pat, the Perry’s live the example of what it means to be leaders in their community. Together, they have extended guidance and philanthropic support to numerous charitable organizations, including The Chrysler Museum, The Hurrah Players, Governor’s School for the Arts, The Virginia Stage Company, Slover Library, The Salvation Army’s Kroc Center, Virginia Symphony Orchestra, Virginia Arts Festival, Old Dominion University, Access College Foundation, An Achievable Dream, Samaritan House and many more. When one of the Perry’s three children created a plaque in kindergarten that read: “My mom makes pies. That’s all she does,” Pat decided to return to college. She enrolled at Old Dominion University, balancing the care of her family with a demanding academic load and earned her bachelor’s degree in 1989, graduating with honors. Since graduating, Pat has served on the University’s Board of Visitors, the Chair of the Institutional Advancement Committee, and as a member of the Academic Affairs Committee. She has also served as Vice Chair of the Governor’s Board on Child Abuse and Neglect, a board member for Samaritan House Safe Harbor Center, the Vice President of the Board of Trustees for St. Mary’s Home for Disabled Children, a member of the First Lady of the Commonwealth Advisory Council and a member of the board of The Virginia Stage Company. As a co-founder of Dollar Tree, Doug is a recognized business leader in the Hampton Roads community. He, along with his partners, Ray Compton and Macon Brock, strategically built Dollar Tree from a single store to the nation’s largest single price point retailer. Doug retired as an officer of Dollar Tree in 1999 and continues to serve on the company’s board of directors. Doug has held positions on various boards and committees over the years, including Chairman of the Board of Trustees for Cape Henry Collegiate School, Treasurer and Executive Committee member for Old Dominion University Educational Foundation, board member for the restoration of the USS Wisconsin and board member of Bon Secours Medical Center. He also served several years as a board member for The Salvation Army’s Tidewater Area Command. The Perry’s were honored as the 2010 Outstanding Individual Philanthropists by the Association of Fundraising Professionals – Hampton Roads, and have received ODU’s Batten Award, which symbolizes their philanthropic support and guidance for the University.

The Honorable Paul D. Fraim – 2017 Paul Fraim was born in Norfolk, Virginia, graduated from Norfolk Catholic High School, completed undergraduate studies at Virginia Military Institute, received his Masters of Education from the University of Virginia, his law degree from the University of Richmond, and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Norfolk State University. A member of the Norfolk City Council from 1986 to 2016, was appointed mayor on July 1, 1994 and re-appointed every two years until May 2006 when he became the first popularly elected mayor since 1916. He was twice re-elected mayor and did not seek re-election in 2016. He is the longest serving mayor in the history of Norfolk. Mr. Fraim began private practice in May 1977 and is president of the law firm Fraim and Fiorella, P.C. He is chairman and president of the Slover Library Foundation, a member of the Eastern Virginia Medical School Board of Visitors, Board of Trustees for the Chrysler Museum of Art, Towne Bank Norfolk Advisory Board, the Greater Norfolk Corporation, the Virginia Arts Festival Board of Directors, Nauticus Foundation Board, and the VMI Investment Holding Board. He is a former chairman of the Hampton Roads Mayors and Chairs Caucus, Hampton Roads Planning District Commission, Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization, Hampton Roads Military and Federal Facilities Alliance, USS Wisconsin Foundation, and Norfolk Electoral Board. His is past president of the VMI Board of Visitors. Mr. Fraim is a former member of the Hampton Roads Transportation Accountability Commission, Eastern Virginia Medical School Foundation, and the TowneBank Board of Directors. He was co-captain of the football team at VMI and coached football at the University of Virginia and the University of Richmond. The Norfolk Sports Club named him “Man of the Year” in sports in the metropolitan area for 1994. In 1995, he received Old Dominion’s “Bud Metheny” award, and was named “Sportsman of the Year” in 1996 by the Virginian-Pilot. He has been inducted into the Hampton Roads Sports Hall of Fame. Other awards include the United States Navy’s Superior and Meritorious Public Service Award medals, the National Conference of Christians and Jews Humanitarian Award, Downtown Norfolk Council Lifetime Achievement Award and Downtowner of the Year, “Colgate Darden Scouter Citizen of the Year” award given by the Tidewater Council of the Boy Scouts of America, Hampton Roads Maritime Association’s Port Champion Award, Catholic Charities of Eastern Virginia’s Bishop’s Humanitarian Award, A Home for Every American Award given by the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, Hampton Roads Realtor’s Association’s Housing Advocate of the Year, Chesapeake Climate Action Network’s Coastal Climate Champion Award, For Kids 2014 Phoenix Award’s Children’s Champion, the 2017 Lifetime Award of Service from the Norfolk Environmental Commission, and the Urban Renewal Center’s Lead Like King Award. Mr. Fraim is a member of the Virginia State Bar. He is a member of and served on the Executive Committee of the Virginia Bar Association, and is a fellow of the Virginia Law Foundation.

History of Norfolk's First Citizen

An outstanding project of the Norfolk Club is the annual awarding of the Cosmopolitan Distinguished Service Award medal to Norfolk’s First Citizen, selected each year by a non-Cosmopolitan group of Norfolk citizens from nominations submitted by the general public. This has been a continuous event since its inception in 1928.

The concept of the “First Citizen Award”, as it has become to be known, originated from the mind of Charter Member Thomas A Hanes of the Norfolk Club who himself was honored by becoming the first Cosmopolitan ever to receive the award as its Forty-Eighth Recipient in 1971, one year before his death. Harold C (Hap) Hoy, Past President of the Club in 1978, became the second Club Member honored with this prestigious award in 1995, its Sixty-Eighth Recipient.

Our Causes

We are one of 58 clubs located in the areas of the Mid-Atlantic, Southwest, Mid-West and Western Canada. In 1985, the Norfolk Club and its sister clubs of the Capital Federation helped spearhead the “Million Dollar Connection” to provide the million dollars of seed money to start a diabetes institute for research and treatment at Eastern Virginia Medical School, known today as the Strelitz Diabetes Research Center.

All donations are directed to the Cosmopolitan Club of Norfolk Foundation, Inc. (501(c)(3)), to be used for their intended purpose.